Histamine Intolerance: Causes and Foods That Help | Dr. Will Bulsiewicz | Exam Room Live Q&A

Histamine can build up in your body if you are unable to break it down properly. There are certain foods that trigger the release of histamine while others will help keep you symptom free.

Gastroenterologist and bestselling author Dr. Will Bulsiewicz explores histamine intolerance on The Exam Room Live with “The Weight Loss Champion” Chuck Carroll.

On This Episode
- Safe foods for histamine intolerance
- Foods that trigger histamine intolerance
- Why fermented foods can cause symptoms
- Are fish and meat safe for people with histamine intolerance?
- Spices and condiments for histamine intolerance
- Chocolate and histamine intolerance
- Coffee and histamine intolerance
- Cooking methods that can help
- And more!

Have a question for Dr. Bulsiewicz? Post it in the comments or chat and we’ll get to as many as possible during the show.
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Dr. Will Bulsiewicz
Histamine Intolerance Course: bit.ly/DrBHistamineCourse
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[@WeCelebrateEatingPlants]

Bonus points for Dr. B saying borrow the book from the library if you need to 🥦❤

[@calmingdragon2862]

My ex dermatologist said the bumps on my back is histamine intolerance. He raised his voice when he said this. He also said if I would lose 10-15% of my body weight it will go away. I am 70 years old and weigh 121 lbs. I did not lose weight, but I did lose that rude dermatologist.

[@user-bs1wg9dt1y]

What the freak! I don’t blame you there!

[@rebekkas4164]

Wonderful topic! I have struggled with allergies ever since puberty - thought it was the hormones but just recently I realized I was on antibiotics for years for my acne, so I'm guessing the effects of that on my gut microbiome is the more likely culprit... After years of suffering (first hayfever, later food allergies, and bronchitis every year during pollen season, i.e. from February to about September) and high doses of antihistamines just to keep me and my lungs out of the hospital, I accidentally stumbled across histamine intolerance. I knew what allergies I had, but all of a sudden I realized I was reacting to high histamine foods for which I wasn't diagnosed with allergies. None of my doctors had ever talked to me about histamines in food. And I'm still not sure whether I'd classify myself as "histamine intolerant" or if the high histamines were "only" aggravating my allergies, or whatever combination of both was going on, however: Around the same time I stumbled across WFPB nutrition and intervall fasting. I started both and can now eat all of the foods I was previously allergic to, as well as all the high histamine foods, and my hayfever is almost non-existent (I've taken a total of three antihistamine pills in 2024 - compared to an average of two per day every day from mid-January in previous years). Now I can't say whether it was the autophagy due to intervall fasting or the WFPB food (and the automatic focus on fibers), but I'm thrilled that focusing on nutrition and my gut microbiome has basically healed me.

[@EvgeniiaDolinenko]

I hope you will keep doing videos about histamine. It's a hugely underestimated problem. 😢

[@missiris1234]

Can’t wait to watch. I learned about this last year. I was diagnosed with HI and take an enzyme with each meal now. My symptoms were sinus headaches, runny nose, fatigue

[@j.c.stewart5167]

Do you mind if I ask? What enzyme?

[@MickisMom]

I needed this one. Thanks!

[@pamela9187]

Get the book. Great info and recipes.

[@Michelle-fe3vw]

Great topic- I suffer from so many of the mentioned symptoms especially chronic migraines and daily bloating. I have just ordered the cook book- looking forward to starting the diet🫰🙏🏻

[@MichaelToub]

Great Video!

[@bluwtrgypsy]

Excellent. Thank you.

[@bettymaugeri7316]

Hives from some shellfish (ended up in ER)but not limited to food also wool and cold (cord urticaria ) and antibiotics! I have reflux and malabsorption among other issues. For five years on a plant based diet!

[@optimaldietcoach1705]

Excellent presentation as usual with Dr B! It was fun to follow along as I have the fiber fueled cookbook, which has been a great resource for myself and my clients

[@healthyspineyoga5079]

I've had hives for 13 years. I can't wait to try this!

[@disaacs915]

Excellent! IVe spent the past 7 years testing allergies and think histamines may be the answer.

[@M4kingThingsH4ppen]

What are your thoughts on Quercetin and or Bromelain as more natural antihistamines?

[@jenniferpaul5506]

I have had every allergy test and there has been no reaction. Every time I eat I get a runny nose, and I have also had at least 5 sinus infections a year. I also have no reason why, until I listened to Dr B on a previous pod cast. Then I got the Fiber Fueled Cookbook and read all about it. When I talked to my family doctor about it and he immediately agreed. So life changing, thank you. 😁

[@adm321]

Dear Dr. Bulsiewicz, Thank you for this podcast! However, let me clarify one thing 🙏🏻 Peas or any other legumes sprouds, if you eat them directly, without any gastro-resistant protection, they are going to be inactivated in the stomach 🤦🏼‍♀️ And they must arrive to the Duodenum to eliminate histamine properly. Best, Adriana Duelo Pre-doctoral Researcher in Food amines and polyamines University of Barcelona

[@jenniethatcher2663]

Hi, what do you recommend to deliver the sprouts safely?

[@terrihannah5025]

Might another symptom be shortness of breath and / or insomnia?

[@lana7422]

Have all the symptoms you mentioned to one degree or another. One thing more to watch out for is spices since they are dried and histamine builds up in the process. I can't tolerate any of them.

[@CaroAbebe]

Legumes and most nuts are also on that list, so are peanuts, unfortunately. Sunflower seeds are problematic as well, pumpkin seeds aren’t. Trusted resource: SIGHI, the Swiss histamine society. They really know what they’re talking about. According to SIGHI, tuna and shellfish are a problem in and of itself, other fish just needs to be fresh.

[@blessing198]

Tomatoes eggplant spinach all kinds of peppers sesame seeds are few I can't tolerate

[@mangiari]

I'm bit puzzled that the microbes create histamine so quickly on a lot of plants, but sprouting peas is recommended. In my experience you need to be very careful when sprouting not to have all kinds of microbial side effects going on... Or is this not ment to use in parallel to the diagnosis phase?

[@Kayte...]

I have several food sensitivities and histamine issues. Vinegar, lemon juice (at least the bottled stuff, not sure about fresh), mayo (because of the vinegar), and who knows what other foods. My nose runs after eating and my eyes water like crazy. Sometimes I can barely speak because my larynx is affected after eating certain foods. Today I ate a GF sandwich with V mayo (vinegar), tomato, homemade tofu bacon (tamari, vinegar, liquid smoke (vinegar)), homegrown lettuce. I actually didn't have strong symptoms afterwards but then had a cup of decaf lemon jasmine tea. Has chamomile which I have a food sensitivity too. After the tea, my voice went all wonky. Every morning when I get up, I have to blow my nose quite a bit and I'll sneeze quite a bit too though blowing my nose usually stops the sneezing. I amazingly don't have environmental (pollen) sensitivities so the runny nose and sneezing isn't related to that. Just all the congestion running out from the day before I guess. With my food allergies and histamine reactions, eating can be a pain. I'm still working out which foods are histamine related for me. I wonder if there is a delayed reaction with histamine as there can be with food intolerances. I don't think the tea was a problem but triggered a reaction that was actually started with the sandwich. Delayed or triggered reactions is common with me with my food intolerances. Is Will feeling okay? He seemed low energy and looks like he's on medical steroids. Hopefully all is well. I was surprised I didn't hear fodmaps mentioned until Chuck mentioned it at the end. I thought fodmaps dealt mostly with histamine foods. I could be mistaken, I haven't studied them much.

[@alisondorian2306]

LONG WINDED

[@yojanasingh7057]

Take vit b complex and acidophilus bacteria for 6 months get your vitamin d checked. Take multivitamin on and off .

[@cacmitevski5415]

I did test my DAO and it was 6.9,i have been on a low histamine diet for 3 weeks so far and taking daily DAO supliment(once per day),and a histamine probiotic.Not fealing that my symptoms are geting better but watching this video made me realise that the reason am not geting better might be couse am eating fryed eggs everyday for breakfast,and am frying with sunflower oil...if frying is not alowed,what about diferent cooking metods for cooking meat?air frying,baking?wondering if bread might be a problem as well?

[@markdevaul7538]

have you considered bifidobacterium ?

[@laillanasgigi830]

I have itchy, black spots and my HI are in the skin and I can’t eat strawberries they make my skin reacts inmidiatly and now a days I have 7 years without eating strawberries and others meals 😢😢😢😢

[@blee309]

What if you are in extreme pain when you eat fiber what do you do then?

[@denisemartin3603]

But if you have gut issues like sibo or ibs stay away from fiber and veggies until healed. So im back to meat

[@timetable5601]

Does high histamine cause rosacea to flare up?

[@healthyspineyoga5079]

I have 5 symptoms

[@magspies]

there is a plant-based DAO supplement available. it's based on ''Legumactive" :)

[@JTDesign1]

His broad statement about "all artificial sweeteners are bad". I don't think this is true. Stevia and Monk fruit are technically not artificial right???

[@Rmirabil1]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@WeCelebrateEatingPlants]

🥦❤

[@coraleigh9661]

I take pea DAO, 9 million per meal , 3-6 million at bedtime. Still can’t tolerate avocado 😖😩. Plant based for 5 years

[@HeartHealthyVegan]

Eat tons of fiber

[@annwilliams6438]

Some people just are allergic to avocados. Sorry.

[@yojanasingh7057]

There are so many other things to eat

[@MARKOLMSTED-oc8nq]

Too much, too much, too much. Too many variables. Two veg. Too long and complicated process to determine.

[@optimaldietcoach1705]

Get his book, it will be easier to follow and go back to reference if something is forgotten. Great recipes there also!

[@denisemartin3603]

He wants you to buy the book. Im just gonna google the low histamine foods from google and write down on a piece of paper. Carry that with me. Try it for two weeks and see what happens. Then im going to buy or grow pea sprouts and eat those. Im already intermittent fasting and exercising. Important to heal gut first if issues. I did that with carnivore and IF for a couple weeks.